The biological sources of infection to humans are wide and varied. For instance, bacteria in the genera Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigell and Vibrio, as well as various protozoa such as Giardia intestinalis, and Entamoeba histolytica have long been known to cause enteric infections. More recently, bacteria in the genera Aeromonas, Escherichia and Helicobacter as well as rotaviruses and Norwalk-like viruses have been identified as causative agents of enteric infections. Recently, concern has been raised that biological pathogens, including viruses and spores, may be utilized by bioterrorists to cause widespread infection through introduction into food, water, or air.
Enteropathogens are spread via contaminated food or water, and are some of the most virulent and easily communicated pathogens. Symptoms of enteropathogenic infections can range in severity from mild transient diarrhea, cramping and nausea to life-threatening dehydration, toxemia and circulatory collapse. Improved food sanitation, municipal water purification and personal hygiene have greatly reduced the incidence of enteric infection in the developed world. These diseases still pose a dangerous threat, however, especially in the developing world, particularly for children, as infection often leads not only to disease, but often to death.
Attempts have been made to develop antibiotics and vaccinations against some of the pathogens that cause enteric infections, but these attempts have met with limited success. Such agents tend to be quite expensive, both in development and production costs. In addition, the sheer variety of pathogenic microorganisms, combined with the ability of the pathogens to quickly develop resistance to antibiotics and vaccines, makes the prospect of developing long lasting, inexpensive preventatives and/or treatments for these diseases by such methods dim. Added to these problems, even in those instances when the immunity gained from an inoculation is accurate for the actual pathogen encountered by the individual, the mucosal immunity gained is short lived (only six months in the case of the cholera vaccine).
As such, what is needed in the art is a method of preventing such infections before they begin. What are needed in the art are products and methods that can prevent the initial attack of a host by a biological pathogen. In addition, what are needed in the art are products that can be utilized to label pathogens in, for example, identification procedures.